Keeping Reality at Bay
by FicletMistress
Summary: There was one place in Radiant Garden that stood out to him. On a lonely street, amongst the crumbling buildings destroyed in the heartless invasion, stood one, lonely streetlamp. Follows Hands are Shaking Cold.


**It's been too long since I've posted anything. Shockingly, this Cleon was not written out in a confined margin. Thank you to my dear friend Sam for the inspiring word "lamppost" two years ago in math. If you all are lucky, there will be a crack alternate ending. xD ****Also, if you pay attention, this follows Hands are Shaking Cold.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing pertaining to Kingdom Hearts.**

**Keeping Reality at Bay**

There was one place in Radiant Garden that stood out to him. On a lonely street, amongst the crumbling buildings destroyed in the heartless invasion, stood one, lonely streetlamp. It had been there for as long as he could remember; part of the background to his youth, the thing that he'd never really noticed until everything else was gone.

And now it was the only light shining on the gravestone of a childhood stolen away. Leon wasn't sure what drew him there night after night. Maybe it was the memories of a time before he had to fight, or maybe regrets that he couldn't save all the people he cared about.

Leon stared out into the darkness, letting memories flash through his mind. Down that way in the open lot was where he would play cops and robbers with the other kids. Next door to the lot was where one of his best friends had lived, the one who was obsessed with hotdogs. His eyes scanned the street as each face surfaced in his mind.

Directly across from his lamppost was where his childhood crush had lived, the girl whose dog loved to scare the old cat lady when she would go out shopping. Around the corner, in the other direction, was the house where that new family had moved in just months before the attack. He remembered trying to convince the shy kid to play with them. Behind him was-

"Hey."

Leon spun around, his hand on the hilt of his gunblade. There stood the new kid, grown and lingering on the edge of his little oasis in the darkness.

"You really shouldn't sneak up on people like that, Strife," he said, turning his attention to the street again. "I could have attacked, you know."

"I didn't sneak up. You just weren't paying any attention." Cloud moved to sit next to Leon, head tilting up to look at the lamp. "These things still work?"

Leon shrugged. "Surprisingly. This is the only one standing, from what I've seen. Why are you here, anyways?"

"To ask you the same question."

"I'm surprised you came this far out to ask," the brunet intervened, glancing at his visitor. "I thought you were afraid of the dark."

"No more than you are."

Leon's hands clenched suddenly into fists and he turned his head away quickly.

Cloud had hit the nail on the head. As strong as he was, as indifferent as he acted, there was no denying the worried glances at the sky when the sun was setting, or that he made sure a light was always on at headquarters. He was supposed to be their strong, fearless leader.

Cloud was afraid of a person, a force; something that could control and destroy him.

Leon was afraid of what he couldn't see.

"It's okay, you know," Cloud murmured when Leon didn't respond. "We've all got something we're afraid of."

"But it's so irrational!" Leon growled, hitting his fist against his knee. "I don't have time to be afraid of nothing. I can kill a heartless but I can't do anything if it's just in my head!"

The blond sighed. "You're not the first one to be afraid, you know. Normally people go to others for comfort when they're afraid."

"Ever bother to take your own advice?"

"Well, I never said we were normal."

A soft chuckled escaped Leon's throat and he shifted, trying to find a more comfortable position on the torn up concrete. "That would explain our problems, wouldn't it?"

If either man noticed that their shoulders were now lightly touching, neither of them commented. Instead, both fell quiet, content to look around and merely remember.

"I'm hoping to remember what it's like to not be afraid."

The blond turned, surprised at the sudden break in silence. "What?"

Leon had yet to look away from the pavement. "I thought that, maybe if I remembered what being unafraid felt like, I could stop being afraid now."

"Do you think it's working?"

A shrug. "I'm not sure. Maybe a little. It doesn't seem so bad tonight." Leon glanced back to Cloud, a hint of an amused expression on his face. "If anything, I think it's helping you."

When Cloud only stared blankly at him, Leon reached over and lifted on of Cloud's hands in his own. "You're not shaking," he mused, quietly.

Blue eyes widened before shifting away, embarrassed. "I was feeling better today."

Cloud pulled his hand back when Leon chuckled again. No matter what excuse Cloud gave, they both knew of shattered plate Cloud had dropped just that evening. After all, Leon had helped to pick up the pieces.

"Or maybe I just needed to try something new."

"Something new?"

"Something to keep my mind from it, or maybe to see the darkness in a way that isn't quite so... intimidating." The blond shrugged. "It's easier to remember those days when we all played here when the street is dark. It keeps reality from being too..."

"Real?"

"Yeah."

Leon hummed in agreement. "That's the nice thing about memories. They're always there to look back at."

Off in the distance, obscured a little by the rows of crumbling houses, a light flashed once, then twice. Leon stood and stretched. "That will be Aerith, calling us back." He offered a hand to Cloud, who accepted it. They started down the street, but Cloud paused to look back at the lamppost.

"Shouldn't we turn it off? It'll burn out if it's always running otherwise, won't it?"

Leon glanced over his shoulder at the blond and shoved his hands in his pockets. "I've tried before, but I don't know where the power source is. For all I know, that light's been going since Radiant Garden fell."

The light from home flashed twice again, signaling that they only had a few minutes to get back before Aerith sent out a search party. To that woman, curfew meant curfew, no matter who you were. The blond looked back one last time before silently falling into step with his teammate.

They rounded a corner and the light from the lamp became obscured by the city remains. Cloud jumped when he felt another hand grip his own. "You don't have to treat me like a child," he protested, tugging lightly against Leon's grasp. "I think I can handle the short walk home."

"Who said it was for your sake?"

-o-

**I've had this in my documents for far too long. It's a little old, but hopefully not terribly out of character. Please review, and thank you for reading!**


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